INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has released its Division III softball regional rankings with Piedmont College making the list once again after a strong 2016 season. The Lady Lions claimed the #8 spot in the 9-team ranking for the Atlantic Region as released earlier Thursday on NCAA.com.
The Lady Lions recently finished up regular season play with a 28-11 overall record including a 16-4 conference record that handed Piedmont its third USA South Regular Season Championship in the last four seasons. Piedmont won its first contest at the USA South Championship Tournament before falling in a pair of one-run contests to be eliminated from the postseason event.
The NCAA Atlantic Region rankings also include Birmingham-Southern College, a team with a 36-8 record who served as Piedmont's 2016 season opener with the two splitting a doubleheader at Walker Athletic Complex. Berry College sits at the top of the region rankins with a 36-6 overall record and is currently ranked 4th in the latest NFCA National Poll.
Piedmont faced some of the best competition the country had to offer earlier this season playing both Birmingham-Southern and Berry, two teams ranked in the top seven in the country, in the first week of the schedule. The road became no easier when PC went to the NFCA Leadoff Classic facing three nationally ranked opponents in a five-game weekend picking up a win over then-#24 Kean University.
Piedmont also picked up a win over then-#9 Rowan University earlier in the year, and the Lady Lions have won 20 of their last 25 games on the schedule since March 16.
